Another Chance
by myshipsaretitanics
Summary: It's just another case right? Wrong. Eventual Emily/JJ. Rated M for violence and smut in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Ten points if you can tell me what state the senator is from. :P

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds or any of the characters. ...Unfortunately.

* * *

Emily looked up from her desk to where JJ and Hotch were talking in hushed tones. Even from this distance, she could see that JJ's eyes were red and puffy. It didn't take a Dr. Reid to figure out that it probably had something to do with why she had been missing work the last two days.

Emily was lost in her thoughts until the perky blonde technical analyst burst through the doors to the BAU. "We have a case," she called, drawing the teams' attentions.

In less than a minute, Garcia had the team gathered around the round table in the conference room. Thick, manila folders were handed out as Garcia began.

She clicked a button and a picture popped up on the screen of a blonde woman lying face down a few feet from what looked like a walking trail. "This is our first victim, Lacey Stalbun. She disappeared earlier this year and found at the Potomac Shoreline Regional Park after being missing for almost three months. Our second victim, Rachel Mickinley, was also found in the Potomac Shoreline park after being missing for a little over a month. Victim number three, Shelley Cole, was found in the Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge three weeks after she was reported missing and our last victim, Nicole Massey, was found there this morning. She was reported missing a week and a half ago."

"He's clearly escalating," Reid pointed out. "In both his time frame and in his chosen method of killing. Victim number one was shot from a distance, but victim number two shows signs of being hung. Victim number three has muzzle burns that indicate point blank range and number four looks like she was strangled with a rope. Each of these is a little more personal. He wants to get closer to the kill."

Morgan nodded in agreement. "Maybe he feels like he's getting closer to his true victim?"

Garcia raised her hand, indicating that she wasn't finished quite yet. "Samantha Garfield was reported missing yesterday. She fits his type."

Sure enough, the new picture showed a blonde hair, blue eyed woman about 26 or 27, which fit into the range of the other women, who were all between the ages of 25 and 32.

"Why weren't we called in sooner?" JJ asked, and rightly so. It wasn't normal for the body count to be so high, especially around the capitol.

"Since the dump sites were different, it took the local PD time to connect the cases. We were already planned to tackle this case before Jamie Sutherland went missing. By the time we got back, victim number four was found."

The group nodded, each of them remembering the trip to Montana to find the missing 10 year old. Luckily, she had been found alive. Still, kidnappings always took precedence over serial killers.

Prentiss took another look at the case file. "How did they connect the cases, I mean, the COD is different in each case at the different parks?"

"Other than the startling similarities in their appearances, they were all secretaries, legal aids or other business woman working on the hill and they all had a letter carved into the left side of their chests; over their hearts."

Garcia pressed another button and four pictures of ornate letters covered the screen. They looked like very fancy cursive or Medieval style print.

"U, A, E, R," Spencer rattled off, somehow making sense of the swirly letters. He ran the possibilities through his head. He had seen those letters together somewhere, he just couldn't quite remember where. The letters were important and, therefore, he felt like he was missing some crucial detail. "What do they mean?" he pondered aloud, more for himself than the rest of the room.

The team shook their heads. Feeling like they were in the same boat as the young doctor. Rossi spoke up, voicing the rest of the teams thoughts. "Whatever the letters mean, it's obvious that they're the most important part. The handwriting is clearly embellished and from the state of healing on victims one and two, I'd say that it was the first thing he did."

It was true, the letter on the first victim was the beginnings of a bright pink scar, and the second victim's letter was only scabbed in two or three places. The team continued to poor over the file, trying to find anything useful on their killer until their unit chief, Hotch, spoke up.

"Since the case is so close to home, we'll be working from our office. Samantha is an assistant for Senator McCaskill. Morgan, Prentiss, I want you to go talk to the senator and her staff. JJ, you and Rossi go check out the last crime scene. Reid, start working up a geographical profile. Garcia, I want to know everything about these five women's lives. I'm going to the PD office to speak with the chief and talk to the media. Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

Prentiss and Morgan strode into the capitol building, flashed their badges to a Security guard and were soon on their way. They wandered down the long hallway until they found Senator McCaskill's office. A state flag stood the corner. The thick red, white and blue stripes glowed proudly and two big bears were on the state seal in the middle.

The Agents walked up to one of the two secretaries' desks. "How can I help you," the young burnette at one of the desks asked. Her eyes were red and puffy, clear indicators that she had been crying.

Morgan pulled out his badge. "Agents Prentiss and Morgan," he said, gesturing to Emily and himself. "We'd like to ask you and the Senator some questions."

"Is this about Samantha?" an older woman asked as she stepped out from behind a concealed doorway.

"Yes ma'am it is. I'm Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan, and this is SSA Emily Prentiss," he said, extending his hand.

McCaskill took it, but after the mention of Emily's name, her eyes were looking over the female agent, a diplomatic mask falling over her face.

"Prentiss," she said, as though she was pondering why the name sounded familiar, "any relation to Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss?"

Morgan braced for impact. He knew that Emily's biggest pet peeve was her parents being mentioned while she was working a case. Sure enough, the profiler clicked her tongue softly, not even realizing she was doing it, but she put on a pleasant smile. "Yes ma'am. She's my mother."

"Oh? You should tell her I say hi. Where is she now, France right?"

"No, Italy," she said, shaking her head.

The senator shrugged. "Ah. Well, beautiful embassy either way." She turned her observant eyes back on the two ages and gestured to the leather seats in the office's foyer.

"Now, you wanted to ask about Samantha?" she asked, a bit of her politically polite mask falling away.

Emily nodded. "Yes, Senator. Did you notice anything strange about her behavior lately?"

McCaskill shook her head. "Not that I know of, we hadn't talked as much lately with it being election year and all that…"

Morgan seemed a bit peeved by this statement. "Do you make it a habit to be especially social with your staff?" he asked, a bit briskly.

The senator seemed taken aback by his strange change in attitude. "No," she said defensively, "Amanda, by legal secretary and I talk on occasion but Samantha was different. I've known her for a long time."

"Morgan, that was unnecessary," Emily chided softly. "Why don't you go interview Amanda?" Luckily, the darker profiler didn't argue, instead taking the hint and walking away. Emily was sure that there was something the senator was keeping from her and she hoped that sending Morgan's abrasive personality away might let her smooth things out.

"Senator," she asked, her attention returning to the older woman, "was Samantha on drugs of any kind?"

"No. Sam was a good girl. She was a member of my election team in Jefferson City, and she was a valuable asset to that very team. She was a straight A student and, as far as I know, she didn't even drink that often," McCaskill said, shaking her head.

"Ok. Is there anything else?"

The senator dropped her head into her hands. "She means the world to me, Agent Prentiss," she said softly, wiping away the tears forming in her eyes. "Her parents were a huge part of my campaign for many years and I basically watched her grow up. When her parents died, I took her in. She was 19. I paid her way through college and all-but adopted her. She's like my daughter. You have to realize that."

Prentiss nodded. "I understand, Senator. We'll do our best to find her, but any information you can give us will be helpful. Was she dating anyone, or talking to anyone?"

"There was something that she mentioned in passing about a man from the pentagon approaching her while she went for her morning coffee. I didn't think much of it then, but maybe I should have," she said, breaking down again.

Emily reached out to comfort the Senator and soon Morgan was peaking his head out of the office, telling Emily it was time to leave. They said their goodbyes, as polite and political manners dictated and were soon on their way.

"What did you get from the Senator?" Morgan asked.

"Not much. She said Sam didn't date much, but was approached by a man from the Pentagon while getting coffee."

"Well, half the city gets coffee, a lot of those are from the Pentagon, and it could just be a ruse."

Emily nodded, "That's what I was thinking. What about you? What did the secretary say?"

Morgan's brow furrowed. "She said Sam has been receiving weird mail lately. Like, chocolates, flowers and balloons. All signed with different, singular letters."

"You think they're from our unsub?"

"Have to be."

Both agents fell silent, pondering all of their new information before the ringtone of Emily's phone pierced the air.

"Prentiss," she answered quickly.

The call lasted barely 30 seconds before Emily was hanging up. "They found Sam's body. We're meeting Rossi and JJ there since it's close by," she explained, tying the address into the GPS.

They were pulling up to JJ and Rossi's SUV in under 15 minutes to see the other agents waiting just outside of the tree line. They were standing next to a worn trail head that clearly showed that it was a bike trail, and a park ranger.

"It's a new dumpsite," Morgan registered as they walked to join the group.

"We just got here a couple of minutes ago, figured we'd wait so the ranger didn't have to make two trips," Rossi said.

Morgan, Prentiss and the ranger all nodded appreciatively before the ranger indicated to the group to follow him as they started down the path.

They were about a half to three quarters of a mile down the trail, which was barely more than a few inches wide, when it opened onto a larger walking trail. They could see that the bike path continued on, and that it was merely an intersection, but this was their stopping point.

Unlike the others, Samantha was face up, lying in the center of the walking trail. Her hands were tied with thick, red velvet ribbon and bruises in the shape of hands were forming around her neck. A square piece of cloth had been cut from her shirt to display the crude A carved there.

Rossi ran a hand through his hair. "This is much different. He didn't take the time to carve a flourished letter, and it seems like this is literally a present to his real target, and I bet you that it has something to do with those letters. A R E A –"

Rossi stopped halfway through the U as the realization dawned on him and the rest of the team. The reason the letters were so familiar, the blonde hair and blue eye combos all made sense now. The three agents slowly turned to look at JJ, whose face immediately paled. She turned away from the group and walked a small distance before throwing up, obviously shaken by the scene.

The Italian profiler wasted no time in pulling out his phone to call Hotch.

"Rossi, you're on speaker," the unit chief said as he answered the phone.

"We know who the target is," he stated, a small bit of worry creeping into his tone. He wasn't going to openly admit it, but he generally embraced the father-figure role that he and Hotch often ended up with, and the blonde had a special place in his heart. He knew that her father had not always been the most supportive, and so he tried to be there for her instead.

"That's good," Hotch said, confused as to why the other team leader seemed so worried about the information. "Now we can work backwards from there."

"Hotch. It's JJ."


	3. Chapter 3

The marker Reid was using slipped through his fingers, clattering unnaturally loud on the tile floor.

"Did you hear me? Hotch, the target is JJ," Rossi repeated into his phone after several minutes of silence on the other end of the line.

Hotch took a deep breath. "Yeah, Rossi, I heard you," he said, his mind already going into overdrive. One thing was for sure, JJ had to be protected at all costs, and if he had learned anything from Elle and Garcia's shootings it was that a member of his team needed to stay with JJ. "Have Prentiss bring her back to Quantico. We'll need to ask her a few questions. And Rossi? We will catch this man," he said, emphasizing the last few words before hanging up the phone and turning around to help the younger agent.

Several miles away, Rossi mimicked Hotch's gesture, turning to see Prentiss rubbing JJ's back soothingly as the blonde braced herself against a tree before once again losing the contents of her stomach. He knew the agents were good friends, and he was pretty sure that they both had more romantic feelings for each other as well, and the look in Emily's eyes helped confirm his suspicions as they briefly flashed through concern, anger and longing before settling on a fierce determination. Rossi knew that Emily Prentiss was going to be one tough agent to argue with on this case. He swiftly approached the two, logging his observations, before whispering Hotch's instructions into Emily's ear. JJ might be the target of this case, but like hell was the blonde agent going to let the team treat her like a victim.

Emily nodded at Rossi, confirming that she understood the unit chief's instructions and started gently tugging JJ into a more upright position. "Come on Jayj, let's get you back to Quantico so you can change," she cooed softly into the younger agent's ear, letting her voice carry all of the concern and sympathy she had for the blonde.

JJ just nodded, too weak to argue, especially since she knew the point was moot. Emily walked JJ back up to the SUV's and opened the passenger door for JJ, who climbed inside and snapped on her seat belt. Emily could tell that the action was more a force of habit than JJ actually thinking about it, and she was a little worried. JJ leaned her head back against the head rest and turned to give Emily a look of thanks. The blonde's eyes were clouded over like she was putting up walls, which in any other circumstance wouldn't be a problem, but she knew all too well that it was hard to escape a fantasy world, even if that world was created to protect you.

Prentiss nodded and walked over to the other side of the car. She got in and drove out of the small parking lot before looking at the blonde. "Are you okay?"

The question was simple enough, but JJ knew that Emily wasn't just asking about how her stomach felt. JJ looked out the window, debating with herself. Emily had a right to know, especially since she was part of the reason.

"Will and I broke up," she whispered finally. "I'm actually more happy about it than I thought I would be, but I've been at custody hearings the last few days." She took a deep breath. The next part was the hardest. "Will won custody of Henry because of my work schedule, though I get to see him whenever I'm home." Tears welled in JJ's eyes once more.

"Oh, Jayj, I am so sorry," Emily said, putting her hand on her thigh. JJ knew that Emily was being sincere about her loosing custody of Henry, but she could have sworn that the brunette's eyes lit up at the mention of her and Will splitting up.

She sighed. "We thought that if I transferred to the Pentagon it might help us stop fighting so much, but it didn't. If anything, we started fighting more. I missed my job, I missed the BAU and I missed my family. I started taking the profiling classes, and Will realized that I would eventually go back. I hated it the Pentagon, and then everything with Doyle, I think he partially blames you for me going back. It's been downhill ever since."

Emily bit her lip. She hated the idea of causing JJ any kind of pain, even if it wasn't entirely her fault. "Jennifer, I am so sorry."

JJ nodded, blinking back tears. It was more than just Doyle when it came to Emily, but she didn't dare tell the older agent that, more out of fear of rejection than anything else. She had once made the mistake of telling Will that she was attracted to women and ever since then, he had been extremely jealous of the way the two agents interacted. The worst part were that his jealousy wasn't entirely off-base. She did like Emily, and she was fairly certain that Emily returned the sentiments, but nothing would ever come of it.

"You weren't the reason I came back, Emily," JJ said, trying to alleviate some of the tension. "I didn't want to leave the BAU in the first place. I would've found a way back no matter what. Besides, there was this creep that was practically—" JJ paused, suddenly sitting up straight in her chair. "I have to call Will."

She pulled out her phone and pressed the speed dial button that her ex-partner still claimed. She waited till a southern drawl answered. "Will, listen to me. Do you remember that creep who kept sending me stuff? I think he's been killing women and I might be next. Look, I just need you to take Henry to my parents' house or wherever. I know you don't have to be moved out until next week, but I just want to make sure my baby is safe," she said in one breath, her words rushing together and turning into strangled sobs.

"I'll make sure he's safe," Will stated, matter-o-factly, "but I want you to be safe too. I'll get him to your parents, but I'm staying here."

"You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do. You and I might not have worked out but you're still Henry's mom, and he deserves to have you, which means I'll keep you safe, if just for him."

JJ sobbed again before whispering her thanks into the phone as they pulled into Quantico. The time it took Emily to find a parking space and the duo to make it upstairs was all JJ needed to compose herself, letting a face she regularly used with the media to hide her feelings. She briefly thought about the consequences of not letting her feelings show now, but she felt that she had no other option at the moment.

Hotch saw Emily and JJ walk in. "Jayj," he said quietly before the blonde cut him off by raising her hand. She didn't want his sympathy right now, it would only make her break down, and she needed to tell him what she knew.

"When I went to work for the Pentagon, I started receiving weird mail. First at work, through the office mail, but later I started getting them at home. Chocolates, flowers, balloons, you name it. Will got so mad, he thought I was seeing someone else. By the time I finally convinced him otherwise, I was thoroughly freaked out. Anyway, everything stopped when I came back here. I thought it was over, but now I'm not so sure."

"Did you ever figure out who it was?" Reid asked quietly, obviously still shaken by the fact that the mother of his godson was being threatened.

JJ shook her head. "No, I had a couple of suspicions. The mail-boy for one, but we never really found out for sure. They were rarely signed, and when they were it was only an initial."

Hotch nodded. "Thanks JJ that helps a lot. In the meantime, I'll have Prentiss take you home so you can wash up."

JJ nodded. "Uh, Hotch," she said, apprehensively, "Will said he'd stay with me, so the team can keep working." She looked to the floor, feeling somewhat like a child either in need of protecting or about to get yelled at, she wasn't sure which. Some part of her hoped that her Unit Chief would refuse. She knew going home to Will would be awkward, especially after she had spent a good portion of the day with Emily. Now that Will was gone, she could feel her feelings for the profiler begin to resurface.

Hotch surveyed the young profiler and sighed. He knew the strain he would be putting on both his agent and the southern detective if he asked them to do this, but if he had the opportunity to keep Emily in the field, he knew he had to take it. "Alright," he consented. "I'll also have a patrol car stationed outside."The blonde nodded and turned to walk out, Emily following behind.

Again, both women were deep in thought for most of the car ride. Emily couldn't believe how afraid she'd been when they'd realized JJ was the target. She kept thinking about it; the gut-wrenching terror that she had experienced in that moment was worse than everything with Doyle combined. She knew that she'd had feelings for JJ for a while, but the blonde clearly didn't reciprocate those feelings most of the time. Still, Emily couldn't help but think of the times when she had shown a bit of interest. JJ had looked so relieved when she woke up after surgery.

Looking back, Emily could see a clear difference in JJ's behavior from before and after Doyle attacked her. Maybe there was something there. She looked over at the blonde, who surprised her by speaking up. "Take a left at the next light."

Emily nodded, thinking about how she wanted to phrase what she was going to say. "JJ," she began softly, deciding to wing it. "I really need to talk to you about something, but I'm not sure how you're going to react."

JJ nodded her head, her blue eyes lighting up a bit. "Go on."

Emily bit her lip. "I… well, I like someone, but I'm not sure if they like me, or even if… I don't know, never mind," Emily said, bailing. She couldn't connect the words in the right order. Emily didn't know how to just look over and tell the beautiful blonde that she loved her.

JJ sat in her seat, getting more frustrated with each passing minute. She had gotten excited when Emily had started to talk. She knew what the older agent was trying to say, and she wanted to share her feelings too. She shook her head slowly, getting more and more frustrated with each passing moment. "No," she said finally, making up her mind as they pulled into the driveway, "Emily, I need to tell you something."

JJ didn't see Will coming to her window, as focused as she was on the other woman. He tapped on the glass, making her jump. JJ held up her finger to Will before turning back to Emily. "We're not done here, but I guess it will have to wait until we're alone again."

Emily nodded, her eyes confused, yet hopeful. She nodded, "Okay."

Both agents got out of the car, and after making sure JJ was safe, and Will knew the plan, Emily headed back to the car. She reflected over the conversation on her way back, but pushed it aside when she walked through the doors to the BAU, knowing all of her brain power needed to be focused on finding this creep and keeping JJ safe. Hotch was arguing on the phone about personnel record, Reid was staring at a map of DC, and Rossi and Morgan were still off at the crime scene. Emily stopped by the break room to grab a coffee before she pulled up a chair to look over the case files of their victims, adding JJ into the mix. Hopefully, they would find this guy soon.

###

JJ and Will sat on opposite ends of the couch, an uncomfortable silence falling over the room. The tv was playing some crime show, but neither of them were really paying attention. "Where's Henry?" JJ asked, trying to break through some of the tension.

"I called Melinda, she said she'd drive him to meet up with your parents," he drawled in return.

JJ nodded. Melinda was their babysitter, and she trusted the college student enough to drive the hour or two it would take to meet up with her parents. Silence fell again. JJ didn't know how much time had passed, but she snuck a look at her watch, only to see that it was well past 7pm.

"Do you want to order pizza?" she asked. Will nodded. JJ got up and walked to the squad car outside to tell the officers what was going on. They gave her the number of a vetted pizza parlor, and JJ offered to buy them dinner, and both men perked up at the offer. JJ went back inside and ordered the pizzas.

About an hour later a 30-something, blonde hair, blue eyed delivery man with glasses and a thick moustache knocked on their door. JJ answered it and politely paid for the two hot pies before asking the man to take one to the squad car out front. A brief look of terror passed over his face, before he nodded and followed JJ's directions. She watched him as he did, wondering why he looked so familiar.

Will quickly ate three slices and sat on the couch, his eyes growing heavy. "I'm just gonna sleep here," he slurred, already half-way there.

JJ nodded, suddenly overcome with drowsiness. She managed to put the pizza away and crawl into her bed, still fully clothed, when sleep overcame her.

###

Hotch got the call around one. The second patrol shift had just arrived at JJ's house, and though he was expecting an all-clear call, he definitely didn't receive one.

"What do you mean?" he asked harshly, the rest of the team looking up from the files they had been buried in. When he stood up, as if in answer to whatever the person on the other end had said to him, the team snapped to attention and copied his actions. Anything that made Hotch show emotion was serious, and this looked seriously bad, especially if it was about JJ.

"And Will?" he said, nodding like he expected the answer, "We'll be right over." Hotch wiped his face with his hand and looked at the team, the news he had weighing heavy on his heart. "Will is dead, and JJ is missing."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hi guys, this is a bit of a long one, but it's a graduation present from me to you because I won't get to update again until sometime in June due to my last class and graduation, so I hope this one quenches your thirst for a couple of weeks. Happy Summer!

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JJ woke slowly as bits and pieces of the night flooded her mind. She and will had fallen asleep, but the alarm system and Will had woken her up sometime just before midnight. She remembered walking down the stairs to Will on the phone with the alarm company, urging whoever was on the end that they were okay. She remembered him putting down the phone and telling her to go back to bed, that it had just been the neighbor's dog coming in through the doggie door they had forgotten to lock, before she was struck on the head, which explained her headache.

She remembered falling, and not being able to move as she watched a man tackle the father of her child. He had hit will so many times and finally, he had taken out a gun and shot Will at point blank range. The gun hadn't made a sound and only now did JJ realize he had been using a silencer; the same blonde hair, blue eyed man who had delivered their pizza. After he killed Will, he turned around a drove a needle into her arm. That's when everything went black.

She looked around, the space was small, about the size of a backyard shed, maybe 5 feet by 5 feet. She was sitting on a cool, metal chair, her hands tied to the arm rests on each side, her feet chained to the floor. A gag had been secured around her mouth, though JJ doubted that it would remain there for long. Sure enough, the man walking into the room and looked JJ in the eyes. "Well, well, well," he sneered, "I finally have you." He smiled as he reached to untie the gag.

JJ glanced up at him, determination and anger showing in her crystal blue eyes. "What do you want?" she spat.

The man looked hurt. "I want you, JJ, or I guess its Agent Jareau again, isn't it?" he leered, pulling out a knife and letting the sharp blade trail lightly along JJ's jawline. "Soon, you'll want me too."

The blonde Agent kept glaring. She remembered the way the other women's bodies had been tortured and knew that her best chance was to not give in. Unfortunately, as the target of his rage and lust, she was also in for a lot more pain than his previous victims. The only way for her to survive was to not scream, and most definitely to not give in to his wishes.

He cut JJ's shirt and bra off, letting both drop to the ground as he licked his lips at her exposed breast, the nipples hard from the cold room. He approached her, setting down his knife and pulling a pen out of his pocket before drawing an intricate J on her chest, right where her hand would be if she were to say the pledge of allegiance. He walked over to a small rolling cart and set down his pen, moving it closer to JJ; close enough that she could see the assortment of knives on the metal tray.

He replaced JJ's gag. "Though I want to hear you scream my name, now's not the time pet," he said, gently clicking his tongue. "Pity, too. I think your screams would be as beautiful as you are." He looked down at the tray and chose a exacto-knife. The blade sliced easily through the soft skin and JJ gasped in pain, desperate for something, anything, to hold onto; to fight for.

###

"That's not good enough, Damnit!" Emily, yelled, slamming her fist onto the table hard enough to make Reid jump.

"I know, Emily, but it's a start," Hotch said calmly.

"What if he wasn't in her department?"

Hotch shook his head. Emily's attitude reflected everyone else's but the dark haired agent was letting her emotions get in the way, and that wasn't helping anything. Still, he knew she was worried, and that she had a point, but the Pentagon was only releasing the employee records to JJ's department and the mailroom, no matter how hard he pushed for more. It had been hard enough to get those. JJ hadn't exactly worked in just any department while she was away, of course not. Their media liaison had to work in a classified division with people whose identities were supposed to remain just that. "It gives us a place to start," he said.

Emily collapsed onto her chair; not bothering to complain about the possible time this could be wasting. They all knew it as much as they knew JJ was in for a lot of torture, pain, and even death if they didn't get there soon enough.

Garcia was busy punching figures into her computer, looking for commonalities between their victims while simultaneously narrowing down the list of JJ's possible captors as the team sent her more information via their profile. All of their phones went off at the same time, a single web address glaring, unforgiving, back at them. Garcia video phoned in from her lair. "Sir," said, wiping tears away from her puffy eyes, "did you all get a web-address too?"

"Yeah, Garcia," Hotch said, trying to determine a plan of action. He had a bad feeling about this link. "Is there any way you trace it without clicking it?"

Garcia sniffled. "Already on it, sire, but it's on a proxy server that bounces the signal to a different country's satellite every five seconds. I can maybe track it back, but it's going to take some time," the technical analyst said.

"Good job, baby girl," Morgan said, stepping forward to take the reins from Hotch. He could see that the Unit Chief didn't know what to say to Garcia. "But Pen."

"Yeah, Morgan?"

"Whatever you do, don't click that link, okay?" he said softly, confirming her fears. A new batch of tears welled in her eyes as she nodded and shut off the webcam so she could cry in piece. Hotch and Morgan turned to face the rest of the room, as Hotch warned the team to brace themselves for whatever they would find on the other side of the address. He pulled the link onto the screen.

An image of JJ quickly covered the blue FBI background. She was naked from her waist up, though the only visible harm were a bump on the head, and a trail of blood from the J on her breast. Her head hung down, chin-to-chest, but the team could see her take a breath, calming their fears that she was dead. A figure walked into the room, his face covered by a ski mask. He poured a bucket of ice cold water over the agent's head.

###

JJ gasped awake, spluttering from the involuntary breath of water the cold had caused. Her captor approached, holding her chin and forcing her to look into the camera that had appeared while she was asleep. "Do you know what?" he asked her smugly. "Your team is watching you right now. All live. They're going to get to witness every single punch I throw, every single thing I do to you. So, sit up, look pretty and smile for the camera." He threw her head to the side and immediately used his other hand to smack her as hard as he could.

###

The team saw JJ's eyes when she had looked up at the camera the first time. They were crystal clear and one hundred percent JJ. When she lifted her head after the smack, they were clouded. Not entirely, but enough to cause worry. The second time she looked into the camera, the JJ they knew and loved was far away from that room. Reid got up and left. No one made a move to stop him.

Emily sat forward, gripping the arms of her chair so hard her knuckles were white. Each time a punch landed, her faced changed. At first, she was getting angrier and angrier, but when JJ stopped looking defiant, when she stopped looking up after every hit, Emily's demeanor echoed as she got paler and paler. When JJ looked like she was on the verge of passing out, she weakly lifted her head. "My Emmy will save me," she smirked, looking tired and subdued, before her captor punched her again, causing the blonde to pass out.

The man walked out of the room, clearly done with her for the moment, and the team jumped back to work. Sometime later, Reid, Rossi, Morgan and Hotch were discussing the bio's of a couple of JJ's old co-workers as Emily was looking over the profiles of the earlier victims. She didn't exactly know what she was looking for, just that she was trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. She looked up to the screen, not bothering to hide her concern. "Oh, JJ, where are you?"

As if in response, the blonde stirred slightly in her sleep. "Save me Emily. My Emily. My Emmy. Help me," she whimpered before falling even deeper into sleep.

###

JJ didn't know when one day ended and another began. She wasn't even sure if she'd been missing for 24 hours yet. She did know that her team knew she was missing, and that was enough. JJ figured the camera was supposed to hurt her by hurting the members of her family, especially Emily.

He had started as a simple stalker, obsessed with JJ, but then he had seen Lacey Stalburn and she had looked so much like JJ that he couldn't help himself. He took Lacey, and he hurt her; realized how much he wanted to hurt JJ like that. JJ was worried about how much she had said in her sleep. Her captor could not figure out who her teammates were.

Just then, JJ heard the door opening. She braced herself for impact, already slipping behind the barriers in her head; into her warm, safe dream world where she, Emily, and Henry were happy.

JJ was lying on a beach somewhere tropical, in front of a private cabin. Emily walked up to her, smiled and held out a Strawberry Daiquiri, which JJ gladly accepted. Somehow, Emily always seemed to know her favorites. The dark haired woman sat behind her, wrapping her arms protectively around JJ's small frame as she peppered kisses down the other woman's tan jawline and neck, taking the time to nibble seductively on her earlobe.

Her captor held the flame against her leg again, this time singeing the hairs and burning the skin. It was just enough to pull JJ out of her delusion to mutter her mantra, "Save me Emmy. Please save me." She knew that she must've sounded like a child, especially calling the brave, beautiful, woman Emmy, but somewhere along the line, the older agent had become Emmy, and Emmy was going to save her.

When he brought the lighter closer to her skin again, JJ fought off the delusions threatening to take hold, instead thinking about her conversation with Emily in the car. She knew that they were just as, if not more, dangerous than the man holding the flame to her leg.

"Come on JJ, come on, Jareau, scream to your Emmy. Scream, because she isn't going to hear you," he taunted.

JJ gave a stoic look before staring at the camera. "Listen to me," she said, her voice layered with pain and determination. Her captor stopped to look at her, eager to know the message she wanted to send. "Reid, Garcia. I love you guys, and I'm glad Henry will have you. I know that together, my son will become the smartest, best behavied, most spoiled young man on the planet. Hotch, Derek thank you for having my back, always. Rossi, thank you for being my dad, when he wasn't."

Her captor had had enough. Nothing she said would make things more interesting. "Stop," he commanded, slapping her across the face.

JJ kept going as the man picked up a bat. "And Emily, thank you for give me a reason to keep going, to keep fighting," she said, in between hits. She was sure that he had broken at least two or three ribs along the way, and she was finding it hard to catch her breath. "We still have to finish that conversation."

That was the final straw, he had made his decision. He was done with her. She might have been his obsession, but this was so much better. She was weak. She wasn't good enough for him. He summoned all of his strength and hit JJ one final time, right in the temple, knocking her unconscious.

###

"Mason Rockwell, this is the FBI, open up," Morgan yelled, knocking on the mansion door.

A maid answered. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like everyone else around Mason. "How may I help you," she asked.

Emily put on her best Ambassador's Daughter smile, which seemed to calm the maid. "We're looking for Mason Rockwell," she said politely.

"He's out back, in the work shed," the young woman said, confused.

Mason was a trust fund kid. His parents had made a fortune helping different politicians on their way to office, and he had acquired his own small heap of money working at the Pentagon, which was how he afforded the huge mansion. Emily was used to dealing with people like Mason, and even Mason himself. The Rockwell's were good friends with her family. Emily thought back to her childhood. Mason was always the shy, awkward kid in the corner that, if provoked, could be a bit of a bully. It was always Emily the other kids were rushing to in moments like that.

Morgan showed the maid the warrant and pushed forward into the house, which they quickly cleared. Hotch waved them toward the shed, and soon they had cleared that too, with no sign of JJ.

Hotch called back to Garcia. "Both the house and barn are clear, are there any other buildings?"

"Negative, sir," Garcia replied quickly after the sound of few clicking keys.

"Damn," Morgan said, looking at Reid. He could practically see the wheeling turning in the boy genius's head. "What are you thinking, kid?"

He shook his head, "It might be nothing but… Garcia, check any blue prints for underground tunnels. Smugglers and runaway slaves sometimes dug tunnels in this area."

Garcia paused. "Reid, you're a genius!" she exclaimed. "If you all walk about a quarter of a mile into the woods at the back of the barn, there is an entrance to a short slave tunnel, I'm sending you the GPS coordinates now. The tunnel is only about a mile long."

"Great work Garcia," Hotch said, hanging up the phone as the group was already making their way into the woods.

It wasn't long until they found the entrance and had all dropped to the cool stone floor. They were halfway down the tunnel when they saw it, a shiny metal door that contrasted against the dark grey rock. They all situated around it, there was no telling how big the room would be though, they were going in somewhat unprepared, but what choice did they have? Prentiss positioned herself in front and nodded to the boys before lifting her foot to kick the door in.

Emily rushed inside and stopped. There was barely enough room for hit to fit into the room comfortably, let alone the rest of the team. All the same, Morgan and Rossi stuck their heads inside through the door, their sights set on the blonde haired, blue eyed, Mason. He was pulling JJ's head back by her blonde locks and he held a knife to her throat as he crouched behind her. The blonde looked like she was still unconscious.

"Put the knife down, Mason," Emily ordered, advancing as much as she could.

"I'd rather not, Prentiss" he spat at the agent who he viewed as the reason he didn't have friends growing up. JJ's eyes fluttered open at the sound of Emily's voice, like she was struggling to keep awake.

"Emmy?" she gasped, her voice hoarse from the beatings and the knife pressed against her.

Mason laughed. "Oh this is priceless. I can get rid of her," he said, jerking JJ's head to indicate who he was talking about, "and hurt you at the same time. Best case scenario. Two birds with one stone!"

Emily's vision blurred a bit at the thought of Mason killing JJ in front of her, and her grip wavered, giving Mason a burst of confidence. She and the blonde man had grown up together. Since they were both children of powerful families, they had gone to the same boarding school. Emily had always been just a little bit better. They were in the same class and she was Valedictorian while he was only Salutatorian. She also beat him in sports and any kind of competition, but only just barely.

"Seems like I've finally gotten the upper hand against the great Emily Prentiss," he grinned, pressing the knife into JJ's neck a little harder, drawing a thin line of blood that stood out against the blonde agent's skin. He stood up a little, letting this information fuel his confidence.

Emily took the chance and ran at Mason, causing him to drop the knife has his head hit the back of the wall behind them. Prentiss looked at the man and determined he was unconscious before grabbing the knife to start cutting JJ free.

Reid wiggled into the room, and went to help Emily. Unbeknownst to the agents, who were either busy or had an obstructed view, Mason was regaining consciousness. With his eyes still closed he felt around on the cold floor for the aluminum bat underneath JJ's chair.

JJ's eyes were open just enough to see Emily, and the bat as Mason stood up and started his backswing. "Emmy, look," she gasped.

Emily turned just in time to catch the bat on the left hand side of her face, hitting her temple. She dropped to the ground, out cold. Mason turned his attention to Reid, raising the bat again. The genius looked up, struggling to pull out his gun in the small space. The void Prentiss had left when she hit the ground was enough for Morgan to regain sight on Mason though, and he quickly squeezed the trigger.

Mason looked at Reid funny as he sunk to his knees, the small bullet hole in his forehead already dripping blood, before dropping the rest of the distance to the floor. JJ recoiled from the man, and only after she was completely sure that he was dead and a puddle had begun to form around his head could she tear her eyes off him to look at where Emily had crumpled to the floor. "Oh Emmy," she almost sighed, before sleep and unconsciousness claimed her once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Hi everybody! I am so, so, so, sorry about the wait. Hopefully, this will help make up for it though. Also, I'm off work for the next few days because I just got my wisdom teeth taken out, so, no promises, but I should hopefully be able to update a little more.

* * *

The bright sun poured through JJ's window, startling the blonde awake. She rolled over and was surprised to find the other side of her bed empty. She struggled to move; a light suddenly flashing in her eyes, bringing the throbbing headache to her attention. JJ shook her head, she knew that having all of that cheap tequila the night before was going to come back to bite her. She looked around the small room. The sea-salt breeze blew the curtains from the balcony doorway open and JJ could see the slender frame and dark hair she was searching for. "Emmy," she said, and suddenly the word felt wrong. She wasn't a child, and Emily Prentiss certainly wasn't either. Emmy was special; and, as such, only used on special occasions. "Emily," she called, this time the word felt right. "Em, can you get me some Tylenol, my head is killing me."

The brunette turned when JJ called her and crossed the small space quickly. JJ knew that something wasn't right about the brunette's appearance, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "How are you feeling?" Emily asked, with a very worried look on her face.

JJ looked back at her totally and completely confused. "I'm fine, babe," she said slowly, hoping the words would sink in, "my head just hurts, and I'd like some Tylenol. I think there is some in the cabinet above the sink in the kitchen."

Now it was Emily's turn to look confused. "What kitchen, Jayje?"

"What do you mean; what kitchen?" JJ yelled, suddenly furious. "We chose this specific condo because it had a pool for Henry, a great view of the ocean for me, and a kitchen for you!"

"Oh, right," Emily said, "I don't know what I was thinking; I'll be right back, okay?"

"Fine," JJ snapped.

Emily stepped away and in the distance JJ could hear whispering and the faint beeping of what sounded like a heart monitor. What was going on with her? Suddenly, her head started to swirl and she felt loopy like the time she had her appendix removed and the doctors gave her morphine. But there was no reason to have morphine in her system.

Morphine? Doctors? Head- ache, head… trauma? JJ fought against the delusions and the drugs, grasping for some sense of reality. But the beach house, that was reality, right? It had to be. Henry had been overjoyed to see huge condominium and the white sand. JJ remembered exactly what his face looked like. But, then again, she couldn't remember seeing the beach herself, or seeing Emily's face for that matter. JJ fought and fought, but eventually, fatigue and whatever was making her loopy won out and JJ closed her eyes to sleep.

###

The doctor looked concerned. It wasn't his fault. He had two head-trauma patients, one of which insisted that she be able to take care of the other, and Emily Prentiss was not an easy woman to say no to. On top of that, the other patient, a young blonde woman seemed to show signs of psychological trauma and amnesia. He processed what Agent Prentiss had told him. "She thinks she's at a beach house?"

Emily nodded, "A condo. She thinks that we are at a condo overlooking some beach and that her son Henry is asleep in the next room over."

"From what you've told me about Miss-uh-Agent Jareau's condition before she was admitted, and what you've just told me, I think your agent is literally lost in her mind. Now, I don't know much about this, I only handle the surgical side of the brain, but I can assure you that everything is fine with Agent Jareau. We were able to control, contain and remove the excess blood in her brain, and her last MRI shows excellent activity. The brain is a mysterious thing and it can do wondrous things to keep the body out of harm's way. I believe Agent Jareau was creating a fantasy world during her kidnapping and the physical and emotional trauma and stress coupled with amnesia caused her to literally slip into this world. I'd like one of our psychiatrists to take a look at her, if that's okay with you."

Emily nodded, obviously numb, but not quite shocked by this information. She remembered one of the first videos, the one where JJ's eyes changed. This was obviously the place the blonde had gone; a condominium with her and Henry. Somewhere in Emily's mind, she registered the fact that she was, in fact, a very focal point of the blonde's fantasy world and that was both wonderful and terrifying. Though it certainly wasn't her fault that Mason Rockwell had fixated on JJ, when he found out that the blonde woman was begging her to help, he was ten times more deadly. Emily sat down and fiddled with the white bandage that covered the 17 stiches on both sides of her head. How many more people like Mason were there out there, people who were so desperate to hurt Emily that they would become deadly to the one's she loved?

Emily understood that JJ's fantasy included her, but she didn't know if she could handle being the reason Henry didn't have a mother. It would kill her.

###

JJ looked up from her book to Emily standing in the doorway that separated the bedroom and the small bathroom. The brunette stood there, in what could only be described as a play-boy bunny pose in a black see through lace bra and panties. One hand stretched up to the top of the door and a pair of black, fuzzy, handcuffs dangle from the single outstretched finger on her other. "Babe, no," JJ said, though her eyes and body screamed yes, "Henry isn't asleep yet."

"Oh yes he is," Emily whispered huskily, crossing the short distance to the bed. "I already checked." She kissed JJ passionately and started tugging the book out of JJ's hands.

"Alright," JJ consented, giggling at the feeling of Emily's fingers gently tickling her sides. She looked at the cuffs in Emily's hand. "Are those for me or you?"

Emily grinned. JJ had no idea just quite what she had planned for tonight. "Just sit back and relax, babe." She continued to kiss the blonde and succeeded in getting the worn, grey FBI academy t-shirt off of her lover. Much to her pleasure, JJ wasn't wearing a bra underneath.

JJ sat up as she continued to kiss her lover. She wound one hand in Emily's thick, dark hair and used the other to tug at Emily's bra clasp.

"Ah-ah-ah," Emmy said, seizing the blonde's hands and pinning them to the bed, a devilish grin spreading across her face. "I'm in charge here."

JJ pouted and whimpered slightly. "But I just wanna touch."

"Nope," Emily said, transferring both of JJ's wrists into one hand so that she could cuff the blonde to the bed frame. Emily was quite pleased with headboard of their bed. It was kind of a gamble choosing a condo, but this bed was perfect. She cuffed the other woman's wrists around the pole in the middle and then gently got off the bed to go in search of the other cuffs. "Give me a sec, Jayje."

JJ wondered what Emily was off searching for and whimpered from her spot on the bed, "Em'ly, come back."

###

Emily shuffled out of the small hospital room.

"Em'ly, come back," JJ whimpered.

Emily shook her head. Something was going on in JJ's head that Emily couldn't quite figure out. She'd been trying to play along; trying to put the pieces together so that the doctors could help JJ get back to reality, but everything seemed jumbled. The most logical place that JJ could be seeing them in was a condominium along some beach, and, from all the times JJ had called her babe in the past 24 hours, Emily couldn't help but think that maybe they were in a relationship of some kind. Her feelings from earlier were once again dragged to the surface. She wasn't a good match for JJ, and certainly wouldn't be able to be a good mother to Henry. She was selfish and Henry and JJ deserved so much more than her. Emily leaned up against the wall and sank to the floor, letting her head rest in her hands.

"Well, hello there, sunshine," a bright voice exclaimed. Emily opened her eyes to see her partner standing holding a cup of coffee out to her.

"Hey, Morgan," Emily said, taking the coffee. She was grateful for any distraction he could offer.

"Any word on JJ yet?"

Emily stood up. "She has retrograde amnesia and is suffering a psychotic break. It doesn't look good, Morgan. It will be difficult for her to pull out of it."

Morgan sat down next to his partner and best friend. He knew that she had feelings for the blonde and that this case and resulting injuries had taken a huge toll on Emily. He placed a protective hand on Emily's shoulder and rubbed it softly. "We'll get through this Prentiss, all of us together."

Emily felt anger surge through her. No, it wouldn't be all of them who had to get through it. It would be her and JJ. That was it. But Emily knew that Derek was just trying to help and it occurred to her that he didn't know the conversation that she and JJ had had on their drive home. She shook her head. "I know, Morgan, I know. It's just hard."

Morgan was about to say something when JJ's voice drifted into the hallway. She was yelling for Emily, who sprang to her feet.

###

The pain started to bring JJ from her delusion. It started with beeping. A consistent, ever present, annoying beeping that pulled and tugged her from the beach. After the beeping, the headache started; a dull ache at first, it grown into a down right throbbing sensation. It clouded her thoughts and eventually, she couldn't take the pain any longer. A brief moment of clarity had JJ yelling for Emily.

Emily rushed into the room. "JJ, Jennifer, what's wrong?"

"Pain," she gasped through clenched teeth. "So much pain."

###

Emily looked into JJ's eyes. They were the enough bright blue that Emily knew JJ was in the present. "I'll get you some meds soon, Jayje, I promise," she said, stroking the blonde's hair. "Do you know where you are?"

JJ shook her head, then winced as her headache responded. "I'm not at a beach though, am I?"

Now it was Emily's turn to shake her head. "No, you're not."

JJ slowly nodded, careful, this time, not to jostle her head as much. "And Will?"

Emily bit her lip. She wasn't sure how much she should reveal to the blonde right away, considering the mental state she was in already, but she figured JJ would learn the truth soon enough anyway. "JJ, Will is dead."

"I thought so," the blonde replied in a scary serene calm voice before a flash of pain caused her to wince. "Can I have some meds now?"

"Of course," Emily said, jumping to attention. She turned and pressed the button the nurses said would administer the morphine. "I'm sorry; I must have gotten side tracked."

"That's okay," JJ said quietly. "Just don't forget to pack Henry's lunch."

Emily spun around and watched the lucidity fade from JJ's blue eyes. Of course, it made perfect sense. Morphine often made people have delusions, and as fragile of a state as JJ was in, the drugs were probably not helping her to pull out of the happy place she had created. Still, it hurt Emily to see JJ become distant again. "I won't," she whispered, almost afraid to speak much louder in case her voice broke. This whole ordeal was taking a much larger toll on Emily than she had ever thought possible.

###

JJ smiled and ruffled Henry's hair. She couldn't believe he was going to middle school today. It seemed like just this year that she had sent him off to Kindergarten with Will for the very first time. "Mom," the pre-teen said, wriggling away from his mother's arm.

"Whoa there, bud, we still need to get a picture with your sisters before they leaves."

JJ turned around to see a smiling Emily holding onto the hand of one five year old while holding the other on her hip. A bright smile spread over the blonde's face. Her three favorite girls in the whole world were walking towards them. At the sight of her mother's smile, the little girl let go of her other mother's hand and ran towards JJ, her dark curls bouncing with each step. "Hi there Alex," JJ said, picking the little girl up and plastering her face with kisses.

"Mommy, stop it!" the little girl giggled.

"Are you two nervous for today?" JJ asked after she put the squirming child down.

"Nuh-huh!" Alex said excitedly.

Amelia, on the other hand, gripped even tighter to Emily's shirt, hiding her face behind her straight blonde hair. "This one's not too excited," Emily said, motioning to the shy child in her arms.

Just then, the bus rounded the corner at the end of their street and stopped to pick up the group there. JJ quickly gathered her family behind the tripod she had set up a while ago, and set the timer, quickly running over behind Henry and next to the nervous five-year-old in Emily's arms. Alex stood in front of her mother and brother beaming the brightest smile.

As the bus pulled up to their driveway, JJ and Emily hugged their daughters to send them off to their first day of school and JJ couldn't help but think back to the day she and Emily decided to have kids. Amelia and Alex were planned out perfectly. Will had graciously offered to donate sperm so that Henry's siblings would be as close to full as possible. Then, she and Emily had both had an egg fertilized and planted in the other woman. That way, Emily might be Alexandra's biological mother, but JJ had carried her, and the same went for Amelia and Emily. It was a way to ensure that both women could claim parental rights over both girls in case anything happened.

She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as Amelia boarded the bus first. When she was inside, and before Alex got on, JJ quietly pulled her daughter to the side. "Keep an eye out for her, Alex, for each other, and have fun."

"Don't worry, mommy, I will," Alex said brightly, before bouncing up the steps.

"Be safe my babies, be safe."

###

The doctor walked into the room. "Are you sure about this?"

Emily nodded. "I saw her pull out of it when she wasn't on any medication earlier. I think this might be our only chance."

"We can try a smaller dosage of a different drug. Something like Vicodin or Oxycodone, that won't knock her out," the doctor explained. "Of course, we'll have to watch her on those too."

Again, Emily nodded. She understood what was happening, and she knew that, at least for a while, JJ was not going to be happy with her. "Okay, let's do this."

The doctor nodded and disconnected JJ's morphine drip. Emily bit her lip and waited. It could be up to a few hours before what was in her system dissipated. Emily was immensely glad that JJ had made the team sign paperwork giving herself and Hotch the ability to make medical decisions for them because JJ had signed for Emily to be in charge of her instead. Emily started dozing off.

Sometime later, JJ groaned, "My head."

"Hi JJ, you're awake."

"My head it hurts."

"I'm so sorry," Emily said, "but it might hurt for a while."

"Why?" JJ asked, tears springing to her eyes.

Emily took a moment to find the right words before she replied. "All you need to know right now is that there were some complications and the doctor is working on switching your meds right now." JJ nodded, obviously still in enough pain and still delusional enough not to argue, which Emily was superbly glad for. "Do you know where you are?"

JJ shook her head a bit, then stopped and looked around. "I'm at a hospital, right?"

"Do you remember why?"

"No, but I think it was bad and I think I'm glad that you're here with me. I need you, Emily Prentiss. More than you know."


End file.
